Saturday, February 04, 2012

Pediatric Dentistry’s Revolving Door

We hear a lot about the “revolving” door in Washington, but seldom does anyone talk about the revolving door within agencies and professional organizations. The same organizations that write the rules, regulations, tests, and guidelines that effect each of us in a more personal way. The same organizations that states and lawmakers trust to protect the public from harm. Chances of corruption are 100% when there are no checks and balances.

Their Publications and Studies

Looking are various websites including the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), you find publication after publication, study after study, dating as far back as the early 1990’s to the present. Just about all of them are, rewritten and republished studies that are merely mashups of their own previous written articles and studies.

The same names are Editors, Presidents, Executive Directors, Editorial Board Members or advisory board members. It’s impossible not to notice those few select names cropping up more than others. It’s also impossible to ignore the names being there for not just a period of time, but appears to be from the beginning of time! Revolving door policy on steroids it appears, and apparently none of them ever die.

The winter board meeting was January 17 – 18, 2008. The Board of Trustees had a full agenda, and I would like to summarize sum of the issues facing the AAPD.

First, I would like to congratulate Drs. Paul Casamassimo (Ohio) and Joel Berg for their appointments for the Academy. Dr. Casamassimo has been nominated to represent the AAPD on the ADA Commission on CODA (commission on dental accreditation and licensesure) to replace Dr. Steven Adair. Dr. Casamassimo’s position as Chief of Dentistry at Children’s hospital in Columbus, makes him a perfect fit for this position.

Dr. Joel Berg was accepted to the ADA committee on Dental Education.

….The American Board of Pediatric Dentistry: Dr Jeff Dean (Indiana) announced that Pediatric Dentists who applied for Board Eligibility after September 6, 1991 will be issued a time – limited certificate (10 years) after successfully completing the certificate process. A Diplomate with a 10 year time limited certificate will be eligible to apply for the web-based examination in year nine and must complete the examination prior to the end of the tenth year.

Dr. Jeff Dean is the new Executive Director of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry as of January 1, 2012, replacing Arthur J. Norwak. Dr. Dean will manage the administrative and financial operations of the corporate office and headquarters in Iowa City, Iowa for the next 5 years.

Dr. Dean has also been named to over see the nation’s dental certifying board for specialty of pediatric dentistry. He is past president of the ABPD and it's College of Diplomates.

Small Smiles Dental Centers and Church Street Heath Management Advisory Board looks more like the AAPD doesn’t it.

Dr. Steven Moore Adair – Chief Dental Officer and Board Member of CSHM. Also, 2004 Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Dentistry, the AAPD official publication, replacing Dr. Milton Houpt.(A Job Well Done) Represented the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) on the American Dental Association (ADA) Commission -on CODA Commission On Dental Accreditation and Licensesure. Joined Heartland Dental CEO, Rick Workman in 2008 Meeting of the PEARL Network. He is also the editor of Dentist Referral Marketing with Pediatric Dentistry Update Newsletter, a geographically exclusive publication, customizable newsletter for dental offices published by WPI Communications, Inc. This is a licensed newsletter, whereby only one pediatric dental practice in the geographical area is “licensed” to distribute the publication. He also teaches the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s “Comprehensive Review of Pediatric Dentistry” designed to help AAPD members prepare for the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD) examinations.

Dr. Adair developed a new technique, in addition to his “superman cape restraining process” that involves wrapping a child’s elbow area from mid-forearm to mid-arm while a child is falling asleep. He has seen a success rate of about 60% achieved in children who want to end the habit, and have had positive reinforcement from their parents and calls from the dental office to the child incorporated into the process. Part-time faculty - Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry at Georgia Health Sciences University. (November -2011)

Dr. Paul Casamassimo - Chair, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, The Ohio State University and Chief of Dentistry at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Represents the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) on the American Dental Association (ADA) Commission -on CODA Commission On Dental Accreditation and Licensesure. (CODA), replaced Dr. Steven Adair.Co-author of several publications with Dr. N. Sue Seale, Dr. Steven Adair and Dr. Arthur Nowak. Former Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Dentistry, when N. Sue Seale and Steven Adair were on the Editorial Board and Arthur J. Nowak was President.

Dr. Arthur Nowak- Professor Emeritus (retired), University of Iowa, Colleges of Dentistry and Medicine and Executive Director of American Board of Pediatric Dentistry (ABPD)where he managed the administrative and financial operations of the corporate office and headquarters in Iowa City, Iowa for 10 years, until December 31, 2011. Dr. Jeffrey Dean took his place on the ABPD, January 1, 2012. Dr. Nowak’s study guide. Co-author of several publications with Paul s. Casamassimo. Dr. Arthur Nowak was President of the American Academy of Pedicatric Dentistry (AAPD) in 1996 and 1997 and Editor for The Handbook, a publication of the AAPD. Nowak publicaitons

Dr. Joe Bernat - Chair of the Department of Pediatric and Community Dentistry at the State University of New York-Buffalo School of Dental Medicine

Dr. Anupama Tate - Director, Pediatric Dentistry,Children's National Medical Center and Assistant Professor at the George Washington University

CSHM Expert Monitor

Dr. N. Sue Seale is the “expert” who is hired by CSHM to help them self-police and self-report after their run in with the government over Medicaid fraud in January 2010 as required by their Corporate Integrity Agreement.

Dr. N. Sue Seale – Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Dentistry for Children the official Publication of the Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as of January 1, 2010. Author of the AAPD Journal Article – The Use of Stainless Steel Crowns.

Casamassimo, Adair, Seale, Nowak, Berg, Crall, Houpt is anyone at all watching this cast of characters?

They teach it, they test it, they regulate it, they monitor it, and they profit from it. If there’s ever a question about it, they are the “experts” to answer it.